Three 44s is right on the money here,
Lions have huge territories. Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri all have cats. Common sense says a few are going to wind up in Iowa. Lions have huge dispersal distances. I have talked to a biologist in the black hills that collared a cat and had it turn up in Oklahoma City.
No offense, but I have have several long time friends in the Iowa DNR and the rumor that the DNR released mountain lions in Iowa is complete B.S. Anybody that believe that should do a bit of research into the ecology of large carnivores and what goes into their re-introductions. It did not happened. In addition, to contacts that put me "in the know" with the IA DNR, I have worked for the U.S. forest service and the U.S.G.S. on a major Grizzly Bear study in N.W. Montana, and worked under L. David Meche (if name will mean something if you are serious about large carnivore research) on a wolf study in N.E. Minnesotta. On top of that, I study wildlife biology at Iowa State University and have gotten to know almost every every leading wildlife biologist in the state. What am I trying to get at? If there was a "release" of mountain lions in Iowa I would have heard about it from a creditable sourse. The only way it could have been done is if it was so top secret that the upper ranks of the DNR and the leading wildlife biologists did not know about it. In short, it did not happen.
Yes, we have have mountain lions in the state. Everybody is aware of that. The critical consideration is that there is very, very few of them. That being said; two major factors come into play. 1. A cats range is so large that many if not a vast majority of the sitings are the same damn cat. 2. Because of the rumors of mountain lions being in the state, many "flashes in the brush" turn into "I saw a mountain lion, I am sure of it."
Now, I know experienced outdoorsmen that tell me they had good looks at cats and I believe them. I will not ask that anybodies friend did not see a cat, because it is certainly possible. But the truth of the matter is we don't have very many and the DNR DID NOT RELEASE THEM.
I've approached every wildlife biolist I know asking abouting the feasibility doing a grad study on cats in Iowa, even though I know its pointless, and I get the same answer. There are so few cats in Iowa that the chances of getting a collar on even one single cat isn't worth messing with. That should tell you alot considering the current state of infatuation with large carnivores and that nobody is willing to waste time and money on cats in Iowa.
Sorry about the long post, its kinda a sore subject for me and I think as predator hunters we should be knowledgable of predator ecology and quit helping to fuel stupid rumors.
Matt
